Morning Notes

St. Patrick’s Day Reminders — A number of St. Paddy’s Day celebrations are planned at pubs and other venues around Arlington today. Meanwhile, SoberRide is offering free Lyft rides home starting at 4 p.m. [

Anti-DUI Event Tonight — “As part of the Department’s anti-drunk driving educational efforts, the Arlington County Police Department is hosting an interactive event highlighting the impacts alcohol has on motor skills — because even one drink is one too many to get behind the wheel. This event is free and open to the public.” [ACPD]

Missing Middle Vote This Weekend — “For the better part of the past year, Arlington’s ‘missing middle’ plan has generated a polarizing debate, leading to marathon public meetings and sometimes vicious exchanges on social media. Like in other communities considering similar moves — from Victoria, B.C., to Raleigh, N.C. — residents have sparred over whether similar efforts are an effective way to combat soaring housing costs.” [Washington Post]

MM May Define Dem Primary — “Even as Arlington County Board members prepare to push through changes that represent the biggest housing and zoning changes in a century, it could – in theory at least – be a brief victory for proponents of Missing Middle. But that likely will depend on the outcome of the June 20 Democratic County Board primary, where two of the six contenders are hostile to the proposed changes, at least as currently envisioned.” [Gazette Leader]

Arlington Rent Remains Area’s 2nd Highest — Arlington remains second only to D.C. when it comes to the cost of one-bedroom rentals, and the two are now nearly neck-and-neck, according to new data from the rental website Zumper. The February 2023 data shows the median one-bedroom rental in Arlington costing $2,280/mo, up 8.6% over a one year period. That compares to $2,300/mo for the median one-bedroom in D.C., up only 3.6% year over year. When comparing one-bed rents from Feb. 2020 to Feb. 2023, Arlington rent is up about 10%. [Zumper]

Church Donates to Rent Relief — “Today, Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing (APAH) announced that the Arlington Presbyterian Church (APC) congregation has committed $200,000 to help low-income residents facing eviction remain in their homes at four APAH-owned properties along Columbia Pike. This funding will help eliminate outstanding rent balances for as many as 200 APAH residents and their families.” [Press Release]

Food Bank Seeing High Need — “A perfect storm of challenges has pushed more people than ever before to seek aid from the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). ‘Our families cannot get a break,’ the social-safety-net agency’s CEO Charlie Meng said. ‘First it was the pandemic, then inflation, and now the loss of [expanded] SNAP benefits means they are worse off than they were before March 2020.'” [Gazette Leader]

It’s Friday — Cloudy with possible light rain in the afternoon and evening. High of 60 and low of 45. Sunrise at 7:18 am and sunset at 7:18 pm. [Weather.gov]